comfort vs road bike

Speaking from experience, I had the same question as you just over a year ago, I went out and bought a Road Bike and never looked back...

Once you get used to the new riding position and geometry you'll find a road bike to be much more efficient, and comfortable, in every way....

You don't have to spend $1500 either, start off by test ridning something like a Felt F91 or a Trek 1000 or something and see how they feel...although any road bike will feel kinda odd at first...but they're a nice bike for $600ish...

That will leave some cash to spend on clipless pedals, shoes, a nice pair of shorts (essential imho)....and not to mention a Helmet...all of which can add up to $500 or more...

Hope this helps...I'm sure you'll get other opinions.

chizlr40 said:

I currently comute to work daily on a cannondale silk path 400. I use it on weekend rides of 50 to 75 miles. I am thinking of investing in a road bike for these rides. would it be worth a investment of $1200 to $1500 for the longer weekend rides? I feel fine at the end of these rides but will a road bike make it easier to go even further.

Agree, if you can get down into a low position on the drops of a road bike you'll reduce effort quite a bit at speeds over 15 mph. Saving a couple of pounds in bike weight, or running 23 tires instead of 28's, isn't going to make a big difference.

If you can afford $1200-1500, I'd spend that up front to get a better bike. The Trek 1000 will work, but that extra cash will buy you a nicer ride and longer-lasting components. Maybe find an '04 closeout on a Trek 2300, or similar.

BTW, a strong rider here comes out on club rides on a touring bike with fenders and a rack and still beats up on many of us.

If you're going to do a lot of long distance rides (50-75 mles is pretty long), I'd recommend a recumbent with a mesh type seat and underseat steering. You'll be able to stay in the saddle longer, you won't get any neck/shoulder/arm/hand pain. Your butt won't get sore. And you'll go at about the same speed and all those guys on road bikes (except when you're outrunning them on the flats and downhills).

There's no way even a properly fit road bike can compare comfort-wise to a recumbent. The seating position of a road bike is inherently uncomfortable. It is the way to get maximum speed and minimum weight by sacrificing rider comfort.

Bikes are subject to style and fashion like everything else. That's why so many "mountain" bikes are sold to the same sort of people who buy SUVs. No, they're never going to take the SUV off-road, and no, most will never take their mountain bikes off-road either. The "racing" style bike has been around a long time. It was originally sold to people who raced. Then non-racers started buying them, for much the same reason that a lot of people buy porsches and ferraris. No they aren't going to race, but they like to look like they are.

I don't get the obsession with speed. Sure, road bikes are lighter (usually translating to $), but why does everyone need to go so fast? I suspect the reason road bike riders are always trying to go fast is that they are so uncomfortable they want to finish the ride as quickly as possible.

If you're going to race, get a "road" bike. If you're going to ride to enjoy the ride, do what your body tells you is right. How hard a decision is that?

TD

thanks for the opinions if i can talk my wife into a road bike it seems to be a good investment. anywat she thinks its a $800 bike.

I don't race anymore but still get alot of enjoyment out of my road bike. My rides are faster and more exciting than ever. I think I ride more often than if I had a recumbent or touring frame. Road bikes are the best, regardless of If you intend to race or not. The new carbon seatstays, seatposts and forks add even more comfort.

Go road, you'll never regret it!

The reason some of us like to go fast is not just the rush it gives you as you fly down a road at 80kmh(or faster) but the feeling of ultimate freedom to command what you desire your limits to be. If that is slow and observant as opposed to fast and enjoyment, that's cool man. That is the coolest thing about riding bikes, we all get to do what we want, and when we find someone that does the same thing we do that's even cooler! Personally I like hammering my way up a nasty hill in the hardest gear I can handle and then flying down the other side as fast as I can- enjoying the hell out of going faster than most people think is possible on a bicycle. I feel alive on my mountain bike as it reaches and exceeds 70 kmh.

Now as for what some people say about "SUV's" being like the "mountain/road bikes of the new century" -get a life. Get off the whole corporate "I hate SUV" thing and respect what people like. I love my 94 Fullsize Chevy Blazer that has a functional ram air hood, headers, supercharger, bad @55 sound system and a lot more. It get's good enough gas mileage and I don't mind paying the higher gas prices. My Blazer rocks, as does my bike and if you don't like it that's cool. I like what I like and you like what you like, but don't you allude to SUV's being a bad thing because they are big unless you are ready to start calling rice burners a bad thing because they can go really fast for really cheap. We are all different and like our bike we demand different things. I think rice burners are cool, 800hp from a 4 cylinder motor is impressive, and at the same time porsche making a 140mph SUV is equally impressive(well, maybe not quite).

Anyway, the basic idea is that you as a person should push your limits as far as you can, and when you have found that your equipment is lacking, re-equip and start anew.

F(_)CK going by what other people say, figure it out for yourself, you will be happier and you will go farther!

Enjoy your ride and make the world happier in your travels!

Scott Charron